A few years ago, it looked as though VMWare's Fusion had ceded the market for Mac virtualisation software to its arch-rival, Parallels Desktop. The company stopped trying to match Parallels' regular schedule of updates, and instead focused on its corporate products and services, such as VMware Workstation and vSphere.

But, at the recent VMworld conference, CEO Pat Gelsinger once more emphasized his strategy of 'any device, any application, any cloud', and it would appear that 'any device' still includes the Mac, as the company has just given Fusion its most significant update in recent years.

Unlike Parallels Desktop, which has long-since adopted a 'software as service' model, and requires an annual subscription of £58.32 (ex. VAT; £69.99 inc. VAT, or $79.99), Fusion can still be bought for a one-time price of £59.13 (ex. VAT; £70.96 inc. VAT, or $79.99).

Existing users -- going back to Fusion 8 -- can upgrade to version 11 for £36.63 (ex. VAT; £43.96 inc. VAT, or $49.99). There's also a second version of the program available, called Fusion Pro, that provides additional features for corporate users, which costs £117.46 (ex. VAT; £140.95 inc. VAT, or $159.99).